The story of the an influential group of social reformers in early 19th Century England

The Clapham Sect was a group of evangelical Christians, prominent in England from about 1790 to 1830, who campaigned for the abolition of slavery and promoted missionary work at home and abroad. The group centred on the church of John Venn, rector of Clapham in south London. Its members included William Wilberforce, Henry Thornton, James Stephen, Zachary Macaulay and others. Stephen Tomkins tells the fascinating story of the group as one of a web of family relations - father and son, aunt and nephew, husband and wife, daughter and father, cousins, etc. Within the story of the people are the stories of their famous campaigns against the slave trade, then slavery, the Sierra Leone colony, Indian mission, home mission, charity and politics. The book ends by assessing the long term influence of the Clapham Sect on Victorian Britain and the Empire.

"A keenly engaging portrait of a great man full of contradictoriness . . . A fascinating figure, fascinatingly limned." --"Booklist" on "John Wesley"

STEPHEN TOMKINS has a PhD in Church History from London Bible College. An experienced journalist, he is a contributing editor to the Ship of Fools website. He is the author of David Livingstone, John Wesley: A Biography (Lion, 2003) and Paul and His World (Lion, 2004).

Stephen Tomkins has a PhD in Church History at London Bible College and author of the acclaimed William Wilberforce: A Biography and A Short History of Christianity. He writes regularly for the BBC and is a contributing editor to the Ship of Fools website.

__Contents__  
Dramatis Personae: The Clapham Sect and Significant  
Supporters 7  
Introduction 11  
__PART ONE: FATHERS AND MOTHERS 15__  
1 The Thorntons 16  
2 The Venns 28  
3 Henry Thornton 36  
4 William Wilberforce 43  
__PART TWO: BROTHERS AND SISTERS 51__  
5 Schooling 52  
6 The Proclamation 57  
7 The Slave Trade 66  
8 Mendip Schools 75  
9 The Slave Trade Continued 80  
10 Sierra Leone: Exodus 91  
11 Sierra Leone: the Promised Land 101  
12 Coming to Clapham 112  
13 Sierra Leone: New Management 125  
14 The Pen 133  
15 Sons and Lovers: Macaulay and Stephen 145  
16 Husbands and Wives 155  
17 Sierra Leone and Ireland 167  
18 Church Missionary Society 174  
19 Vice 185  
20 Slaves of the Abolitionists 200  
21 East and West Indies 212  
22 Anti-Slavery 223  
23 Deliverance to the Captives 234  
24 Sons and Daughters 246  
Notes 251  
Select Bibliography 262  
Index 269

\["For Christians interested in history and social change", "Reveals how faith led to significant social reforms", "You will understand the impact of faith on society"\]

The Clapham Sect explores the transformative power of faith in abolishing slavery and shaping Britain.

Stephen Tomkins

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dramatis Personae: The Clapham Sect and Significant Supporters

Introduction

PART ONE: FATHERS AND MOTHERS

1 The Thorntons

2 The Venns

3 Henry Thornton

4 William Wilberforce

PART TWO: BROTHERS AND SISTERS

5 Schooling

6 The Proclamation

7 The Slave Trade

8 Mendip Schools

9 The Slave Trade Continued

10 Sierra Leone: Exodus

11 Sierra Leone: the Promised Land

12 Coming to Clapham

13 Sierra Leone: New Management

14 The Pen

15 Sons and Lovers: Macaulay and Stephen

16 Husbands and Wives

17 Sierra Leone and Ireland

18 Church Missionary Society

19 Vice

20 Slaves of the Abolitionists

21 East and West Indies

22 Anti-Slavery

23 Deliverance to the Captives

24 Sons and Daughters

Notes

Select Bibliography

Tomkins, Stephen

The story of the an influential group of social reformers in early 19th Century England.

A detailed account of the Clapham Sect, an influential group of evangelical Christians in 19th-century Britain. Covers their campaigns against slavery and missionary work.

\["For history enthusiasts and Christians alike", "Explains the impact of faith on social justice efforts", "You will be inspired by their legacy of compassion"\]

Discover how the Clapham Sect changed Britain through faith and activism.

The Good Book Stall

The author begins by asserting that the ‘Clapham Sect’ never existed, was not a sect and that few of its members came from Clapham – the name was coined when a newspaper editor misremembered the derogatory remark of a cynic! However the label stuck and that is how the late 18th century collection of lifelong friends became known, as they collaborated in doing God’s work of evangelism and improvement of the quality of life for all. The best known of them is, of course, Wilberforce, but he was surrounded by other fascinating characters who also strove to make a difference. This book tells their stories and describes their works, home and abroad, great and small. It is not a hagiography and does not shrink from including some attitudes and actions that the modern reader may find difficult, but balances this with acceptance that the Victorian social and moral climate was much different to what we have today. Above all these were people of God, openly and unashamedly living for Him – as rare and unpopular a phenomenon then as it is today – and this account provides them with the recognition they deserve and modern Christians with an example to ponder.

The Clapham Sect

How Wilberforce's Circle Transformed Britain

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The Clapham Sect

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